Oh but Tim, I _have_ been speaking it all my life. In a great many ways it is as native to me as it is to the friends you're talking about. One great thing about growing up in an Indian city or even an Indian small town is that you are inevitably bilingual. They teach you the language of the state you're from, plus English (especially if you attend an "English medium" school), many times Hindi. In my case, I was lucky to have a fourth language added to the list because I did not grow up in the state where my folks are originally from. So while I'm from Gujarat, I also had a chance to learn Bengali.

Also, there might be one more similarity that I strongly suspect we might share: are you "nature oriented"? Yeah, I do write some short fiction and poetry here and there but nothing to boast about. For about ten years I thought I'd be a fiction writer right after college but now I realize it will take years before I am any good. Meanwhile looking to gain life experiences and understand/explore people, nature and the Universe.

Your blog is, as always, gorgeous. Really loved the Paris pictures.

Very impressive, sounds like a fantastic trip. My personal favorites in terms of Indian literature include The God of Small Things and The Age of Shiva, which I just finished. However I can't say that either will give you a complete picture of life in India or will convey the same meaning to you that they did to me as an urban young middle-class Indian woman. And India is extremely pluralistic, like many countries co-existing. The cultures can be similar but they are distinct at the same time. The big cities see much intermingling which makes things even more mixed up. If I do come across something that I feel might give you a good perspective, I'll certainly let you know.

I love your personal description because I can relate to it! After my undergraduate course I plan to explore sociology and anthropology for a Master's degree. (history remains an integral part of the course I'm doing currently - English Literature) I'm also a writer and deeply interested in/awed by art and photography though I don't own a camera at the moment. I'm trying to save up enough to get one soon. And I definitely relate to the bit about communicating what you see in a creative way.

New York City, huh? I live in the states, but have never traveled there, although i've heard many good about it and without a doubt would go in a heartbeat!

-Yours truly, Brooke

Hey if you are looking for a good bit of literiture on India check out Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Its the best book I have ever read and I have read some dam amazing books. Gives a great insite into India and the lifestyle of Bombay.